Oregon Government Ethics Commission

The Ochoco West Water & Sanitary Authority (OWWSA) is again poised to violate Oregon’s public meetings law, this time by giving just one day’s notice for its upcoming Aug 12th regular meeting — well below both statutory expectations and state guidance

The majority of the Prineville City Council signaled resistance last week during its latest public meeting to allowing the public to testify remotely at council meetings, even as it weighs whether to expand video access—something already selectively offered to some individuals, including members of the council.

The board of the Ochoco West Water & Sanitary Authority (OWWSA) held an illegal special meeting Tuesday night, July 29th, after issuing just four hours’ notice to the public and media—far short of the 24-hour bare minimum required by Oregon law.

The Prineville Review filed a formal grievance Wednesday morning against the Crook County Board of Commissioners, alleging the county failed to provide timely and specific notice of a public hearing concerning a controversial expansion of the TSR North Solar Facility near Powell Butte.

The Oregon Government Ethics Commission (OGEC) voted unanimously Friday to launch a formal investigation into Crook County High School Principal Jake Huffman, finding there is “a substantial objective basis” to believe he may have violated state ethics laws by using his public position and school district facilities to benefit a private wrestling business he owns.

Following an ongoing dispute over public records sought by The Prineville Review from Crook County since November, Oregon’s Public Records Advocate has raised serious concerns about the county’s handling of public records requests—both generally and in relation to this publication’s outstanding requests.

A Crook County water district is facing severe financial and governance issues following allegations of misappropriating thousands of dollars, general mismanagement, and potential ethics violations by its elected board—nearly half of which has now resigned.

Two newly appointed Crook County School District Board members were sworn into office during a special meeting late last week after being appointed to the vacant positions by the existing board. The appointments, which cover Zone 1 and Zone 3, follow the resignations in recent months by Jessica Brumble and Cheyanne Edgerly.

The Crook County School District has finally released an unredacted version of its written meeting minutes to the Prineville Review from its December 2024 illegal executive session over discussions of a complaint against Athletic Director Rob Bonner.

The Oregon Government Ethics Commission voted unanimously on Friday to initiate a full and formal investigation following a preliminary review into two Crook County Cemetery District officials over reported violations of public meetings laws last summer.